By: JAEQWON SUAREZ / DEPUTY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR
On Monday, February 12, a man was charged with theft after taking the life-sized bronze Jackie Robinson statue from McAdams Park in Wichita, Kansas. The Wichita police on Tuesday said it was likely stolen to be reduced to scrap metal.
Jackie Robinson is an important figure in Black History Month when it comes to breaking barriers. He emerged as a star while he was with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues and later became a symbol of hope for racial equality by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Leagues in 1947.
Robinson was also a huge advocate for allowing Black people to participate in the Officer Training Program, where he emerged as a second Lieutenant. Even long after retiring from Baseball, he continued to push the barriers in banking to help Black people obtain loans fairly, as well as advertisement, broadcasting and business.
The 45-year-old man who stole the statue, Ricky Alderete, has been arrested and charged with false information, theft and aggravated criminal damage to property.
The lawyer representing Alderete has not yet been able to comment but Lt. Aaron Moses of the Wichita police department stated that the investigation will continue.
“The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating this was a hate-motivated crime,” Lt. Moses told the New York Times. “Instead, we believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal.”
It was later discovered through surveillance video that there was a truck near the statue as it was getting cut down, leaving nothing but the shoes and the base. It was then placed on the bed of the truck and later found at an apartment complex.
Several pieces of the statue were found by a city worker, who unfortunately found it burning in a trash can in another Wichita Park. The 275-pound statue of Robinson was deemed to be irreparably damaged.
Brandon Johnson, a city council member of Wichita, said in a statement that he hopes that this arrest sends a message to the rest of the community, as many were outraged that someone could do that to a historical Black figure.
“This is an occurrence that should not have happened. Hopefully this is a testament to all who might think about doing something like this in the future,” Johnson said.
Chief of the Wichita Police Department, Joe Sullivan, also added a statement of his own. “If you try to take something from this community, it won’t tolerate it,” agreeing with Johnson that this arrest will hopefully set a standard within the community. “I am confident this is only the first arrest and there are more to come.”
The estimated value of Jackie Robinson’s statue is about $75,000 according to League 42, the nonprofit organization that had the statue built and installed in 2021.
League 42 is known for its support within the Wichita community, helping provide children with access to baseball within the community without having to go through the expensive costs of making or organizing recreational leagues.
Just like the community, League 42 was also outraged at the news of their beloved Robinson statue stolen from the historical park. They have since started a GoFundMe campaign to get support to help make another Jackie Robinson statue for McAdams Park and people have already donated to the cause, with the fundraiser reaching nearly $200,000.
The administrative assistant, Jaclyn Evans and the executive director Bob Lutz, from League 42 both gave statements, which can be read on their website league42.org.
“League 42 tries to embody the spirit of Jackie Robinson, our namesake, who was born on this day, Jan. 31, 105 years ago,” Lutz started.
Evans then goes on to talk about their love and dedication to making the community better for the children. The organization will continue to expose the youth to baseball while they have their statue rebuilt with more security.